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(No Model.) 4 2Sheets-Sheet 1. F. MULLER.

ELEVATED WAY. No. 372,381. Patented Nov: 1, 1887.

mi'nesses Invent!) a. PEI'ERS. Pholnlilhcgnyhur. wamm mn, D. c.

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

F. MULLER.

ELEVATED WAY.

No. 372,381. Patented Nov. 1, 1887.

Witnesses Inventor N. PEIEns, Phnm-L'thngmphnr Washmgicn D c UNITED STATES PATENT Gr mes.

' FRANZ MULLER, OF SIEGENFELD, NEAR BADEN, AUSTRIA-HUNGARY.

ELEVATED WAY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No.3'72,381, dated November 1,1887.

Applicaticn filed March 15, 1887. Serial No. 221,044. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

ing at Siegenl'eld, near Baden, in the Province of Lower Austria, in the Empire of Austria- Hungary, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Elevated \Vays; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to letters or figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 is an isometric view of so much of an elevated way as is necessary to illustrate my invention, and Figs. 2, 3, and 4 are detail views.

The object of this invention is to provide means whereby passengers or materials may be carried up inclines without the use of a motoras, for instance, for transporting passengers or materials up asteep mountain side.

The further object of the invention is to provide means for relieving the track almost entirely of the weight of the load.

The invention consists in the construction and arrangement of the elevated track or way, and the combinatiom'with the carriage, of a balloon to relieve the track or way of the load traveling thereon.

The invention further consists in the combination, with the elevated way, of carriages of peculiar construction, and in the combination therewith of safety devices to prevent accidents, substantially as hereinafter fully described, and as set forth in the claims.

In Fig. 1 of the drawings I have shown the upper one of the terminal stations of my improved elevated way, at which point are erected two towers, M and N. To the tower M is secured the end of the wire cable S of the down track or way, the other end of said cable being secured at the lower or down terminus to a similar tower. To the tower N is secured one end of the up-track cable S, whose other end is secured to a like tower at the lower or down terminus. XVithin the towers, or at some other suitable point, if desired, the cables S are connected with means for maintaining the same taut. Such means I have deemed unnecessary to show, as they are well known and may be of any well-known approved construction.

The cables S are supported at points intermediate of the terminals of the road or way by means of posts A, whose upper end is forked, the arms a and a of the fork being provided with bearings, in which is journaled a roller, a, by which the cable S is supported. The upper ends of the arms a and a of the fork terminate in aninwardly-bent hook, and form guards that prevent the cables from passing or being thrown out of line.

Each post A is further provided with a hook, a, to which ballast is secured for use during the journey when this becomes necessary.

The construction of the vehicle may be varied according to its uses and according to the season. If the elevated way is used for passenger traffic only, the vehicles may be constructed in the form of open boats for summer use, as shown in Fig. 1; or any other desired form may be given to them, and for winter closed vehicles may be employed.

Any suitable form and construction of vehicle may be employed for the transportation of materials. In all cases these vehicles are to be coupled in pairs and suspended on opposite sides of the cables. The carriage O for the support of these vehicles is of peculiar construction. It is composed of two yokes or stirrups, 0', one near each end, to which are secured two runners, c", the ends of which are bent upward in the form of sleigh-runners, and are secured to a longitudinal top bar, 0, bolted or otherwise securedto bearing-plates connected with'the stirrups c, forming practically a sled with the ends of the runners united to form a nose. The runners 0 of the carriage O are braced together by cross-braces c, Fig. 3, to impart to the carriage greater strength and stability. Between the longitudinal top bar, 0, and the stirrup or bearingplate is secured a crossbar, 0, one near each end of the carriage O, the outer ends of which cross-bars c are provided with means for suspending the vehicles D therefrom and for anchoring the captive balloon L, of which there will be one for each pair of vehicles D, said balloons being anchored fore and aft or in the planes of suspension of the vehicles from the crossbars, as shown at Z Z Z I, Fig. 1. By means of the described arrangement the vehicles of each pair will be yoked together and M, and through said tower to the down car-- rlage.

In the stirrups near the opposite ends of the carriages C are formed bearings, in which are jonrnaled two rolls, .0 0", one above the other, of such a configuration as to form between them substantially a cylindrical opening for the passage of the wire cable S, by which the vehicles or their carriages are guided. The lifting power of the balloons Lis' governed by the load to be carried in each pair of vehicles, and should be such as to counterbalance the said load and the weight of the vehicles.

The load in the Vehicles on the down track or way will of course be governed by the load in the vehicles on the up track or way, and should be sufficiently greater to overcome the inertia thereof and pull the load to the terminal up-station or up along the track or way. In this manner a motive power is entirely dispensed with, the vehiclesor the load on the down track taking the place of the motive power. Under ordinary conditions, in view of the fact that the loads are held in suspension by a counterbalancing lifting power, the load on the down track need not be disproportionally greater to overcome the inertia of the load on the up track to pull the same up along the inclined plane formed by the cable S. A comparatively small increase in the load on the down track will therefore readily pull the load up the up track or way. By giving the carriage O the form of a sled there will be comparatively no shock when the runners run over the rollers a of the supporting-posts A,which rollers form rolling bearings that, instead of retarding the motion of the carriage, tend to accelerate the same.

By giving the rollers c of the carriage such shape as to form between them a cylindrical opening through which the cable S passes, the said rollers not only form rolling bearings for said cable S, but the wear due to friction is equally distributed upon the entire surface of the cable and the accidents of a break thereby rendered less liable than would he the case if the wear were to take place upon one or upon opposite faces of the cable, as will be readily comprehended.

In the operation of my improved elevated way I employ any suitable cable-grip for both the up and down carriages,arranged to be op erated from one of the vehicles, or any suitable brake device by means of which the speed of the carriages may be controlled or their motion arrested.

For the purpose of maintaining the equilibrium between the vehicles of each pair, should this be disturbed by the descent of a passenger or the unloading of a load or a portion of a load at intermediate points, I provide a supply of ballast at each of theinterrnediate supportingposts, which, as above referred to, is suspended from the hook a on the post within reach of the conductor.

To avoid accidents due to the escape of gas from one of the balloons, or the bursting of the'same, or from a breakage in the carriercables S, I employ safety-chains B, constructed substantially like a Vaucanson chain, chains are stretched from the towers at the termini of the road to the next posts A, and

said posts, below the forked portions thereof,

having a T-head, a, to the arms of which the ends of the chains are secured.

In case of an accident such as above referred to, to prevent the overturning of the carriages, I provide the chains B, at intervals less than the length of the carriage, with safety-guards b, in the form of rods having their outer ends bent upwardly and projecting alternately from the opposite sides of the safety-chains B, so that should a carriage drop by reason of the breakage of a cable, or sink by reason of the sagging of said cable in the event of an accident to a balloon, the said carriage will be firmly supported from the safety-chains.

By means of the described arrangement of elevated cable-road, I am enabled to establish lines of transportation upon the steepest inclines, such as steep mountain sides, which would otherwise be practicallyinaccessible, as far as transportation thereto or therefrom is concerned.

Having now described my invention, what I claim is- 1. An elevated cable road for inclined planes or surfaces, comprising, essentially, two parallel cables secured at the termini thereof to fixed supports, a carriage for and arranged to These cured at the termini thereof to fixed supports,

intermediate supports provided with a rolling bearing for said cables, a like carriage for and arranged to travel on the up cable, a like carriage for the down cable, said carriages being provided with runners arranged to run over the rolling bearings of the intermediate supports, and adraft-cable connecting the two carriages together, substantially as and for the purposes specified.

3. An elevated cable road for inclined planes or surfaces, comprising two parallel cables secured at the termini thereof to fixed supports, intermediate supports provided with a rolling bearing for said cables, a carriage for and arranged to travel on the up cable, a like carriage for the down cable, said carriages being provided with runners arranged to run over the rolling bearings of the intermediate supports, a balloon for each of said carriages, to hold the same in suspension, and a draft-eable connecting the two carriages together, substantially as and for the purposes specified.

4. An elevated cable road forinclined planes or surfaces, comprising two parallel cables secured at the termini thereof to fixed supports, intermediate supports provided with a rolling bearing for said cables and with laterally and upwardly bent guards a a, in which said rolling bearing is journaled, a carriage for and arranged to travel on the up cable, a like carriage for the down cable, said carriages being provided with runners arranged to run over the rolling bearings of the intermediate supports, and a draft-cable connecting the two carriages together, substantially as and for the purposes specified.

5. An elevated cable road forinclined planes or surfaces, comprising two parallel cables secured at their termini to fixed supports, a carriage for and arranged to travel on the up cable, a like carriage for the down cable, two receptacles for each of said carriages,suspended therefrom on opposite sides of their respective cables, and a balloon for each pair of receptacles, connected thereto fore and aft, and a draft-cableconnectingthe up carriage with the down carriage, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

6. An elevated cable road for inclined planes, comprising two parallel cables secured at their termini to fixed supports, a carriage for and arranged to travel on the up cable, a like earriage for the down cable, a draft-cable connect ing the carriages on their respective cables, and a safety-support extending along and underneath each cable, constructed to receive and support said carriages in the event of a break in the cable, substantially as described.

7. An elevated cable road forinclined planes, comprising two parallel cables secured at their termini to fixed supports, a carriage for and arranged to travel on the up cable, a like carriage for the down cable, a balloon for each carriage for holding the same in suspension, a draft-cable connecting the carriages on their respective cables, and a safety-support extending along and underneath each cable, constructed to receive and support said carriages in the event of a break in the cable or an accident to the balloons, substantially as described.

8. An elevated cable road for inclined planes, comprising two parallel cables secured at their termini to fixed supports, intermediate supports for said cables, provided with means for storing ballast and with rolling bearings from which the cables are supported, a carriage constructed to travel along the up cable, a like carriage for the down cable, two receptacles suspended from each carriage on the opposite side of its respective cable, a balloon connected with each carriage, to hold the same and the load in suspension, and a draft-cable connecting the up carriage with the down carriage, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

9. The combination, with the cable S and the post A, having its upper end forked, and a roller, a, journaled in the arms a and a of the fork, of the carriage (1, comprising the stirrups 0, having a pair of rollers, c, journaled therein, between which the cable passes, the longitudinal bar 0, and the runners a having their ends bent up and connected to said longitudinal bar, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

10. The combination, with the cable S and the post A, having its upper end forked, and a roller, (6, journaled in the arms a and a of the fork, of the carriage 0, comprising the stirrups 0, having a pair of rollers, c, journaled therein, between which the cable passes, the longitudinal bar 0, the cross bars 0 pro vided with eyes at their ends, and the runners 0, having their ends bent up and connected to said longitudinal bar, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

In testimony whereof I affix my siguaturein presence of two witnesses.

FRANZ MULLER.

\Vitnesses:

EDMUND J USSEN, Orro Scnnrrnn. 

